#canMNT Club Recap from 31 January to 6 February
Posted on 6 February 2012 in Around the Soccer World
Captain Kevin McKenna was one of eight Canadian Men’s National Team players to see action in Germany as he helped FC Köln to a crucial 1:0 victory in the Bundesliga.
Elsewhere, Simeon Jackson and Atiba Hutchinson both made inroads in their respective battles for first-team spots with Norwich City and PSV Eindhoven.
Germany
Canadian skipper Kevin McKenna played the full 90 minutes at centre-back for FC Köln as they earned a momentous 1:0 victory over FC Kaiserslautern in the German Bundesliga.
The win is Köln’s first over Kaiserslautern in the last 26 meetings between the two teams and helps keep McKenna’s side in the top half of the Bundesliga table.
Elsewhere in the German top flight, Canadian defender Marcel De Jong played 90 minutes at left-back for FC Augsburg as they drew 2:2 away to Hoffenheim.
De Jong’s Augsburg missed a chance to claim all three points on the road as Hoffenheim snatched a late equalizer in the 72nd minute. Augsburg is currently sitting in relegation territory but is only three points from outright safety.
Up-and-coming Canadian striker Randy Edwini-Bonsu made his long-awaited debut in Germany’s Bundesliga 2 as play in the division resumed following the six-week winter break.
Edwini-Bonsu came off the bench in the 68th minute but could not find a crucial equalizer for Eintracht Braunschweig who lost 2:1 to Eintract Frankfurt. Canadian Rob Friend did not make it off the bench for Frankfurt.
Elsewhere in Bundesliga 2, Canadian striker Olivier Occean played 90 minutes in a losing cause as SPVGG Greuther Fürth fell 3:1 to SG Dynamo Dresden. Fürth will be keen to resume their winning ways from earlier in the season as they are only two points out of the promotion places.
Of note in Germany’s 3. Liga, Lethbridge-native Nik Ledgerwood was sent off in the 37th minute after receiving two bookings in the span of two minutes as SV Wehen Wiesbaden fell 1:0 to Darmstadt 98.
Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault played 90 minutes in midfield in a 2:0 away victory for Preußen Münster.
Defender Adam Straith made his loan debut at FC Saarbrücken playing 90 minutes at centre-back in a 2:2 draw.
England
Canadian striker Simeon Jackson continued to make headway into earning a regular starting position for Norwich City FC in the English Premier League as he started and played 74 minutes in Norwich’s 2:0 victory over Bolton Wanderers.
Jackson assisted on Norwich’s first goal by Andrew Surman and was cited as one of the match’s most lively players by a number of reports.
David Edgar played his usual 90 minutes for Burnley FC as they drew 1:1 with Peterborough United in England’s Championship.
Netherlands
Recovering Canadian midfielder Atiba Hutchinson was again on the substitutes bench for PSV Endhoven as they drew 1:1 away to Heracles.
Hutchinson has yet to make a league appearance for the PSV first team since re-aggravating his knee injury in September of 2011.
The positive news for Hutchinson is that he did make a late cameo appearance for PSV in their 3-2 KNVB Cup victory over NEC on Thursday 2 February.
Turkey
Mike Klukowski played 90 minutes for in a 3:2 win for Manisaspor in Turkey’s Süper Lig on Thursday 2 February.
Klukowski did not, however, feature in the side’s 1:0 victory over his former club Ankaragücü on Monday 6 February.
